Football games to watch list for 2013 no longer includes Apopka-DP

Blue Darters and Panthers will square off only if both reach 8A semifinal

June 18, 2013|By Buddy Collings, ORLANDO SENTINEL

The most interesting twist to Central Florida's 2013 high school football schedule might be the rivalry you won't find on the docket.

Defending Class 8A state champion Apopka and Dr. Phillips — power programs that played each other 11 times in the past 12 seasons — will not square off unless they meet in the playoffs.

Neither coach wanted to meet in the regular season when the possibility of a state semifinal showdown exists. That was the scenario last season when Dr. Phillips dominated the Blue Darters 35-17 in a season opener but got drilled 38-19 in a playoff rematch.

"Once you beat a good team, you really don't want to see them again," Dr. Phillips coach Rodney Wells said. "Coach [Rick] Darlington and I ran into each other somewhere and it was pretty much simultaneous. We both said the same thing."

Apopka will start its season six days ahead of most of the state with an Aug. 24 opener at South Carolina powerhouse Duncan Byrnes. That game was made for ESPN.

New Smyrna Beach, coming off a 9-1 season, also crosses state lines to play a Sept. 14 game at St. Joseph's Regional (10-2) of New Jersey.